Punta Gorda Dentist On the Importance of Floss

“You floss too much,” is probably a phrase never uttered to a patient by any dentist, even your Punta Gorda FL dentist Dr. Dehdashti. Not only is flossing an essential daily activity keeping your mouth in tip-top shape and health but as studies are starting to prove, it can also be beneficial to your health as a whole!

When you brush daily, it takes care of cleaning only about 65% of your mouth. On most tests or exams we take or took in school, anything below a 70% is a failing grade- so why would this be any different?

A lack of flossing (taking care of that other 35%) can lead to bacteria and tartar building up. This can then move onto inflamed gums, intense pain and bleeding while brushing. From there you could be looking at having the structures of the tooth fail, potentially resulting in tooth loss- which no one wants. To make matters even worse, this bacteria and disease have in some cases been known to attack surrounding ear and throat regions, even affecting heart health.

That’s right. Not flossing could lead to you being twice as susceptible as regular flossers to coronary issues. Though a slightly different type of plaque, within the heart, these deposits can build up on the walls of arteries and end up narrowing passage and flow of blood- leading to heart attacks and heart disease. Bacteria, sneaky as they are, even have the ability to get in through the un-flossed pockets around your teeth into your bloodstream, causing vessel swelling and ultimately- more cardiovascular and circulatory repercussions.

The moral of this heartfelt telling is to keep flossing to keep your ticker ticking. If you have concerns about the health of your teeth, gums or flossing abilities, do not hesitate to contact your Punta Gorda dentist today at (941) 624-0990.